The Fifth Kiss (22 page)

“Cut line, girl,” he interrupted disgustedly, “and come down from your high ropes. You don't have the slightest notion why I—”

“Don't I? I am not such a fool as you think me. I can see quite well what you had in mind. You could not, in good conscience,
bar
me from the house, so you took this paltry means as protection against my
interference
. In
this
way, your Aunt Eugenia can control my behavior—isn't
that
your plan, my lord?—while you will not have to bother about me at all.”

“Humbug! Don't be such a little ninny. Let me—”

But a knock at the door interrupted them. The butler put his head in to announce that a carriage had just arrived at the door bearing not only the governess, Miss Elspeth and Miss Olivia's brother, Charles Matthews, but another lady. In the greatest surprise, Olivia and Strickland both hurried from the room. The three travelers stood smiling in the hallway. Charles was holding Miss Elspeth's arm in his, but before Olivia could take note of this strange detail, she recognized the third member of the party. “Cousin
Hattie
, of all people—! What on
earth
—?”

Strickland blinked at the elderly little lady who stood leaning on her cane and looking about her with a mouth pursed in disapproval. “Cousin
Hattie
?” he echoed in a choking voice. His eyes met Charles' for a moment as a gleam of understanding exploded upon his consciousness. “Charles! You … you
clunch
! You haven't gone and brought us
another
one?” And he threw back his head and burst into a roar of laughter. The entire assemblage—the butler, Olivia, Charles, Miss Elspeth and Cousin Hattie—gaped at him. Not only did the reason for his merriment escape them, but the inappropriateness of such hilarity from a man who still wore a black armband on his coat shocked them to the core. As his eyes moved from one startled face to the next, he found that their expressions only served to double his hilarity. Helplessly, he laughed and laughed, and the watchers could only shake their heads in bewilderment and tell themselves with a sigh that poor Lord Strickland had taken leave of his wits.

chapter fifteen

Later, just before dinner, Charles was introduced to Mrs. Cardew and suddenly understood what it was that had made his brother-in-law laugh so uproariously. He, himself, though not given to such uninhibited mirth, was hard pressed not to guffaw in Mrs. Cardew's face. But it was not until after the lengthy dinner, when the ladies at last left the gentlemen to their port, that Charles was able to discuss the subject with his host. “It was very good of you, Strickland, to concern yourself with Livie's reputation by inviting a female to stay here,” he said, broaching the subject at once.

“Not at all, I should have thought of it before. We can't permit Olivia to become the subject of gossip just because she is good enough to wish to look out for my children. I'm completely cognizant of the fact that I stand very greatly in Olivia's debt. Having my dragon of an aunt in residence is a small sacrifice to make in return.”

Charles grinned. “Miss Cardew
is
a bit dragonish, isn't she? And now I've added my cousin Hattie to your
ménage.
”

Strickland laughed and sipped his wine. “Yes, worse luck! Although I must admit, Charles, that your bringing her here provided me with the first real laugh I've had in months. Whatever made
you
so suddenly think of providing us with a chaperone? You've never worried about such matters before.”

Charles' smile faded as he studied the ruby-colored liquid in his wineglass with thoughtful eyes. “No, I never have. Livie's always seemed like a baby to me … at least until very recently. It was Jamie, you know, who thought of this chaperone business.”

“What? Your hedonistic little brother James?”

“Yes, indeed. He knows more about proper conduct in society than all the rest of the Matthewses put together,” Charles admitted.

“Good for him!” Strickland said, toasting him
in absentia
with the raising of his glass. “Perhaps we should ask
him
how to rid ourselves of one of them,” he added with a touch of irony. “I have no wish to house
two
chaperones, but I certainly haven't been able to think of a way to send one of them packing. Both ladies seem to take it for granted that they are to remain … and I cannot in good conscience suggest that one of them leave.”

“No, I don't suppose you can.”

Strickland refilled his glass and frowned into it. “One of them shall be nuisance enough, but to have to endure
both
…”

“I'm sorry, Strickland. Truly I am,” Charles apologized.

“Oh, I don't blame you, Charles. Not at all. It's your sister I blame.”

“You mean
Livie
? But you just said how much you're
indebted
to her!”

“I know, I know. But my indebtedness doesn't make her any easier to bear. You have no idea, Charles, how troublesome she can be. She has an uncanny talent for cutting up my peace.”

Charles looked across the table at Strickland with interest. “
Has
she?”

“Need you ask? She's lived with
you
for all of her life. Certainly you must know her better than anyone.”

“She's never been the
least bit
troublesome at home.”

Strickland's expression was anything but believing. “Never been troublesome?
Impossible
! Why, here at Langley she's been turning the household upside down! She's completely upset my routine by coaxing me to go out with the children every afternoon (not but that I don't admit it's done a world of good for my relationship with my son), she challenges every decision I make in regard to their upbringing, and she even has been nagging at me to retain the tutor to whom I've given notice … and
this
after she'd made vociferous objection to my hiring him in the first place!”

“That was very presumptuous of her, I must say,” Charles murmured, pretending to an engrossing interest in his wineglass but keeping a fascinated eye on his brother-in-law.

“Presumption is a mild word for her. The chit can be a
termagant
when her temper is aroused. You should hear her at the dinner table! I only wish to consume my meal in peaceful contemplation, but every evening she finds something to quarrel over. It can be anything at all—from my opinion of Madame de Stael to the rise in the price of corn. You should have heard her ripping up at me this afternoon for inviting Eugenia here!”

“Well, you see, she doesn't know
why
you've sent for your aunt to stay. Nor does she understand why
I've
brought our cousin Hattie.”

“No, she's quite naive in these matters, isn't she? I say, Charles,
you
wouldn't undertake to explain things to her, would you? I'm not very adept, myself, at dealing with such young innocents.”

“Yes, of course I will. I should have spoken to her about these things before, but she's so clever about most subjects that it always takes me by surprise to realize she's ignorant in matters like these. But I shall have a talk with her. There are one or two other matters I'd like to discuss with her as well.”

Not long after the gentlemen joined the ladies in the drawing room, Cousin Hattie excused herself and hobbled off to bed, the journey from London having quite exhausted her. Strickland, with a meaningful nod to Charles, bore his aunt off to the library for a game of
vingt-et-un
, leaving the brother and sister alone. Olivia didn't give her brother a moment to collect his thoughts. “Whatever
possessed
you, Charles,” she demanded, jumping up from the sofa as soon as the door had closed behind Strickland, “to bring Cousin Hattie here for a visit.
Here
, of all places … and when you
knew
I would be too preoccupied with the children to trouble myself over the amusement of guests!”

“I had the same motive for inviting Hattie that prompted Strickland to invite his
aunt
,” Charles said calmly, leaning back in a wing chair, taking out his pipe and filling the bowl with tobacco from a pouch he always carried with him.

“What motive?” Olivia asked, startled.

“Your reputation.” Charles paused to light his pipe, and then leaned forward to explain to her bluntly that the world frowned upon those living arrangements in which a man and a woman who were not married to each other took residence under one roof.

Olivia stared at him. “What nonsense!” she exclaimed at last, her voice suffused with disdain. “Do you mean that both you
and
Strickland decided, quite separate from each other, that I have need of a
chaperone
? Why, the house is full of chaperones! There's Mrs. Joliffe, the housekeeper, there's Fincher, and dozens of servants, to say nothing of the governess and the children—”

“Servants and children are not considered appropriate chaperones,” he informed her. “Not by the ladies and gentlemen of the
ton
, at any rate.”

“Good heavens, Charles, this is quite unlike you.
You
know and
I
know that Strickland would never … er …
misuse
me. Therefore, what does it matter
what
the ladies and gentlemen of the
ton
believe?”

“In the first place, my dear girl, it matters
very much
what the
ton
believes about my sister! Reputation is a priceless jewel to a woman. To
anyone
! Didn't Publius say that
a good reputation is more valuable than riches
?”

“If you are going to spout quotations at me, Charles,” she said impatiently, taking an angry turn about the room, “I can think of one or two myself. How about
Reputation is often got without merit and lost without fault
!”

“I don't wish to bandy quotations about, my dear,” Charles said imperturbably, leaning back in his chair and puffing away at his pipe. “The fact remains that your good reputation is essential to your future, whether you like it or no. Now, as to the second (and, I admit, more delicate) point—that of Strickland's ‘misusing' you—how can you be certain he would not?”

“
Charles
! That's a
dreadful
thing to say! Miles is not the sort of man who …” Suddenly, remembering her discovery of Miles' adultery and the details of the embrace that night in the library, she blushed a fiery red.

“Exactly!” Charles said knowingly, reading his sister's face with ease. “You yourself once described him to me as a
libertine.
”

“I was mistaken,” Olivia declared promptly. “Please don't think of that,
ever again
. Miles would
never
take advantage of my presence in this house, chaperone or no chaperone.”

“How can you be so certain of that?” her brother asked, observing her closely.

“I'm just certain, that's all.” She dropped her eyes from his face and sat down on the sofa. “Besides, he doesn't even
like
me.”

“I would not be so certain of
that
, either, if I were you,” Charles said enigmatically.

Her eyes, questioning, flew to his face. “Why do you say that? Did he
say
something to you about me?”

Charles shrugged. “Not exactly. It's just a feeling I have.”

She felt a twinge of disappointment. If her brother had an inkling that Strickland felt some affection for her, she would have liked to hear his evidence to support that theory. But no amplification of his comment was forthcoming, so she pushed her disappointment aside and remarked scornfully, “Oh, pooh! You know nothing more about these matters than I do.”

Charles responded by giving her an unexpected and very wide grin. “I've learned
something
about these matters since I saw you last,” he announced. “I've learned enough to become betrothed!”

She blinked at him. “What? Whatever are you babbling about, Charles?”

“I'm speaking of
love
, my dear. A certain young lady will be announcing, before very long, her betrothal to your brother Charles.”

Olivia could scarcely believe her ears. “Betrothed?
You
?”

You needn't sound so amazed, my dear. One would think I am such an ‘undesirable' that no lady with the sense to come in from the wind would
have
me.”

“Oh, Charles, I didn't mean—!” She jumped up and pulled him from his chair, catching him round the waist in a bear hug. “Are you telling me the
truth
? Are you really to be married? But when did it
happen
? And who
is
she? Do I know her? Is she lovely? Does she truly
deserve
you?”

Charles took her arms from round him and led her to the sofa, smiling broadly as he pulled her down beside him. “Hush, you goose. One thing at a time. Now, let me assure you that I only hope
I
am deserving of
her
, for she is the sweetest, kindest, most lovable creature I've ever known. And yes, my dear, you know her, for it was through you that I found her.”

Olivia wrinkled her forehead in puzzled concentration. “I cannot think whom you might mean. I remember introducing you to my friend, Miss Shallcross, but you took no notice of her at all.”

“It's not Miss Shallcross. It's Elspeth.”

“Elspeth?” Olivia gasped. “Elspeth
Deering
? Perry and Amy's Elspeth?”

Charles chuckled at her amazement. “
My
Elspeth, now.”

Olivia was speechless. How could this have happened? She had left Miss Elspeth in London only a little above a week ago! Could a man like Charles have fallen in love in so short a time? She studied his face intently. There was no question that he looked quite happy. In fact, she didn't remember when she'd seen him look so well. His back seemed to be straighter, and his eyes shone. “Oh, Charles,” she breathed when she'd recovered her breath, “I don't know what to
say
! I've always believed that Elspeth is an admirable young woman … but I never
dreamed
—”